Pocket adding-machine.



B. B. HART.

POCKET ADDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 0201131914.

1N VENTOR. M a 144 BY 2 SHEETSSHEET Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

WITNESSES.-

Am A TTOR NEY.

B. B. HART.

POCKET ADDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC-21.1914.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

2 SHEET$SHEET 2 & 7??? WITNESSES:

ATTORNEK "a ums r-nuu m pnnmmno. a/Asum UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BURNETT B. HART, OF LOWELL, MASfiACHUSETTS.

POCKET ADDING-MACHINE.

Application filed December 21, 1914.

To all t tom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BURNETT B. HART, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented cerain new and useful Improvements in Pocket Adding-Machines, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to registers or adding machines of the type which can be carried in the pocket and upon which individual amounts may be readily indicated by means of one hand on a dial, while the sum total is registered by another hand or hands on the same or a different dial.

My device is preferably in the form of and about the size of a watch with the usual stem and ring for attaching it to a chain. It has what I will call a fly back hand which always automatically returns to zero after each action, a units hand which moves forward with the fly back hand. but remains fixed in position, a hundreds hand which moves one point for each revolution of the units hand and has an intermittent action. I may use also a multiple hand which registers the hundreds up to 1,000 or 10,000 as desired. This also has an intermittent action and moves one point for each revolution of the hundreds hand.

My device is so made that the registerin hands or total indicators and mechanism are locked in inoperative position except when the stem which carries the turning spindle is pulled out. This spindle is slidable longitudinally and has a returning spring which tends to draw it inward into the case in which position saidparts are locked but the spindle may be rotated freely without affecting them. An accidental push on the spindle does no harm.

It is practically necessary to use both hands to operate the device, that is the left to hold the register and the right to pull out and rotate the spindle.

I prefer to arrange also a push button, in a position so close to the stem that it will not be accidentally operated, by which the hundreds hand and mechanism and multiple hand and mechanism can be operated without disturbing the units hand. By this mechanism, where it is desired to register hundreds alone, as for instance dollars, they may be registered first and then the units,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Serial No. 878,368.

as cents, may be registered afterward. The parts may also be readily reset so that all hands will point to zero.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my device. Fig. 2 is a front elevation with part of the crystal and part of the dial broken away. Fig. 3 is a front elevation with the crystal, part of the dial, hands and hundreds gear removed. Fig. 4 is a side elevation with part of the case broken away to show the mechanism. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation with the back case partly removed. Fig. 0 is a detail of the stem and spindle mechanism. Fig. 7 is a detail of the fly back clutch mechanism. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a modified construction.

In the drawings, A represents the crystal, B the dial, C the back case, D the front case and E the annular side, top and bottom case.

F is the stem, Gr is the attaching ring of usual form and II is the thumb or finger piece for turning the spindle.

The total. indicators are units hand 28, hundreds hand 67, and multiple hand 93 or any of them. The item indicator is fly back hand 31.

The spindle 10 is fixed to thumb piece H and extends therefrom radially into the case. A spindle spring 11 which bears against collar 12 and annular shoulder 13 tends to force inward spindle 10. During most of its length, spindle 10 is of cylindrical form but near its end carries an integral clutch member 15 which is many sided and is adapted to engage, when the spindle 10 is pulled outward, a many sided opening in the end of a clutch gear 21 rotative in suitable bearings 22 fixed to front plate 23. Clutch gear 21 carried by bearings 22 engages a driving gear 25 pivoted on plate 28 which in turn meshes with a. units gear 26 rotative on a spindle while its hub is rotative in front plate 23. On the hub 27 of units gear 26 is carried units hand 28 while at the other end, the hub is of conical shape fit-29 and split.

Fly back hand 31 is carried at one end by spindle 30 which extends through hub 27 and 29 and through the back plate as shown clearly in Fig. 7. This spindle has a. spline 33 upon which is slidable a clutch member 34 one end 35 of which is adapted to engage the conical clutch member 29 together forming a fly back clutch. When this fly back clutch is operative, spindle 30 will revolve with units gear 26 and the fly back hand and units hand will travel together.

To engage and disengage the fly back clutch, I prefer to use a for red arm 86 the arms of which enter an annular groove 37 in clutch member 84L. This arm 36 is pivoted to the back plate 32 at 38 and has another arm 39 to which is pivoted a member 40 which is preferably a resilient member made for instance of spring steel and which is fixed at its other end to a projecting arm 4-1 from a collar 16 slidable with spindle 10 which is revoluble freely therein. By this arrangement, when the spindle is pulled outward, the fly back clutch is elastically engaged and, as long as it is held out, the fly back hand and the units hand will move together.

When a suitable registration has been made and thumb piece H has been released, allowing the spindle to return to its normal position carrying with it member 40, the fly back clutch will be disengaged. This would leave the fly back hand away from zero were it not for the fly back mechanism connected with spindle 30 on the back side of back plate 32. This mechanism comprises a cam 42 of well known form fixed to spindle 30 and an arm 4-3 pivoted at 44: to the back plate in such position that its free end 45 will so engage fly back cam &2 when forced toward spindle 30, that it will rotate the cam and spindle until the fly back hand is brought back to zero.

To operate fly back cam arm 43, I prefer to use a link 46 pivotally connected thereto and to arm l1 from collar 16. By this mechanism, as soon as the fly back clutch is released, the fly back cam arm 4-8 operative through link 46 arm 41, spindle 4:0 and spindle spring 11 will return the fly back hand to zero,

To prevent accidental displacement and for another purpose to be mentioned, I prefer to pivot on front plate 23 a locking pawl 50 the free end of which is provided with a. tooth adapted to engage the space between any adjoining teeth of units gear 26. Between an arm or pin 51 from collar 16 and locking pawl 50 is a connecting link 52 pivoted to both. These parts are so adjusted that when the spindle is pulled outward, the locking pawl is unlocked from the units gear and when the spindle is allowed to slide inward, it looks the units gear.

Pivoted loosely on front plate 23 is a hundreds star gear which is free to revolve except for the step by step spring 61 which enters between its arms causing it to click or to move step by step and prevent shaking out of place. This star gear is preferably operated by a slidable pawl 62 providcd with slots through-which pass pins 63 into units gear 26 and connected with a pawl spring 6% whereby it is normally pushed outward so as to engage the ends of the arms of star gear 60. The end. or nose of this units gear pawl is preferably slant ing so that after it is struck on that side by a star gear arm, it will be moved backward out of the way, while its other side' is straight whereby, if that side en ages a star gear arm, it will rotate the star gear a certain distance.

The star gear 60 carries a gear 65 which engages hundreds gear 66 rotative on the hub 27 of units gear 26. This hundreds gear 66 carries the hundreds hand 67. The ratio of the teeth on the star gear to the hundreds gear and the ratio to the units gear teeth is such that at each complete revolution of the units gear, the hundreds gear is moved one point.

To operate the hundreds hand independently of the fly back and units hand, I arrange on the spindle (38 which carries the star gear 60, preferably at the back of the front plate 23, a. ratchet 69 which is operative by means of a pawl 70 pressed against the ratchet by a spring 71 and pivoted at 72 to an arm 73 pivoted to the front plate and to push button spindle 7 t. This push button spindle 74 is normally pressed outward by push button spring 75 and terminates in a cap 76 close to stem F where it will not be easily touched by accident.

'When the parts are locked in normal position, pressing down push button 76 oncev moves hundreds pawl 70, advances ratchet 69 one notch which moves the star gear, the hundreds gear and the hundreds hand one notch, without disturbing the units hand or the fly back hand.

I may also use a multiple star gear pivoted to the front plate and rotative thereon. This star gear has a step by step spring 91 which gives it a step by step action similar to that of star gear 60 whereby when it rests it will always be at a certain point and will neither slip forward or back. This multiple star gear carries on its spindle 92 a multiple hand 93 which registers on a dial 9 1 as shown in Fig. 3 and is operative by a pin 95 carried by the hundreds gear 66. To set this multiple hand, I prefer to extend spindle 92 enlarged at 96 through back case 0 as a head 97 with an ordinary screw slot whereby it can be turned by the thumb nail,

a jack knife or screw driver.

To set the hundreds hand at zero, it is easiest to press push button 76 until the hundreds hand moves around to zero, and to set the units hand, the spindle is pulled out and it is turned to zero as above described The multiple hand may be set as just described. When the spindle is pulled out, unlocking the units gear, the hands may be turned either forward or back.

1 find it desirable to use the slidable units gear pawl 62 and the units gear locking mechanism in connection with the push button for the reason that if the pawl were fiXed or a pin such as 100 shown in Fig. 8 as used and happened to be in path of the arms of the hundreds star gearing it would be struck in such a manner that the units gear might be rotated thus making an in correct record. With pawl (32, however, when its slanting end is struck, it is pushed back, and the units gear is prevented from turning by the locking mechanism. If, however, the slidable pawl should stick, the action of the push button and its connections would not be interfered with except at certain positions of the pawl.

If the push button should become broken or if any of its connections should become broken, the action would be substantially the same as the modifications shown in Fig. 8. In Fig. 8, the push button and connections are omitted and the sliding pawl is replaced by a pin 100 which engages the star gear (30. The locking mechanism is shown in operation. lVith this construction, the only way to move the hundreds hand either for recording, registering or resetting is by turning the spindle repeatedly until the units hand. and hundreds hand are brought to the desired point.

If the setting head 97 for the multiple hand should become inoperative as for instance if the slot should be worn out or if it were dispensed with entirely, the multiple hand might also be set together with the hundreds and units hands all comprising the total indicators, by the rotation of spindle 10. Such a process for resetting, however, is relatively very slow.

The locking mechanism serves to lock the positive gearing as distinguished from the intermittent or star gearing and prevents accidental displacement, by shaking for instance, and prevents displacement in case the fly back clutch mechanism should stick when it ought to disengage. The principal purpose of the locking mechanism, however, is to prevent any movement of the positive gearing through the pawl 62 when the push button is operated. If it is broken or omitted. the device will still operate.

The drawings show a construction wherein the ratios of the various hands, that is units, hundredsand multiple, which comprise the total indicators are as 100 to 1, while the fly back hand or item indicator travels with the units hand, but it is clear that any ratio may be used and that in such case the driving gear or intermediate gear may be omitted and units gear 26 may be driven directly from the clutch gear. It is also clear that while the main clutch shown includes member 15 integral with spindle 10 and that part of the clutch gear 21 which is engaged thereby, any other type of axially operative clutch mechanism may be used.

The clutch gear performs two functions, one as part of the main clutch and the other as part of the driving gears, together with gear 25, for the total indicators.

The gearing for the total indicators include the multiple star gear, hundreds gear, hundreds star gear, units gear, driving gear, and the gear part of the clutch gear or any of them. This gearing connects the total indicators with the main clutch. If the multiple hand is omitted, its gearing may also be omitted and the gearing may be modified within certain limits.

Between the item indicator and the total indicators is a detachable connection such as a clutch operative by the slidable action of the spindle which connects or engages them when the main clutch is engaged and disconnects or disengages them when the main clutch is disengaged. I prefer the mechanism shown because it is attached directly to the operating spindle, it is elastic and is disconnected automatically by the spindle spring when the spindle is released by the thumb and fingers.

My device comprises a slidable and rotatable spindle, a main clutch normally out of action which can be engaged by the slidable action of the spindle, total indicators which may be considered in two parts one positively driven from the main clutch and the other intermittently driven therefrom and capable of independent action, together with a fly back item indicator which engages the total indicator mechanism when the main clutch is engaged and flies back when the main clutch is disengaged. Subsidiary devices are the locking mechanism, the slidable pawl and the push button mechanism for independently operating the intermittent part of the total indicators and the spindle 96 and head 97 for independ ently setting the multiple hand of the total indicators.

Another important feature is the arrangement of the spindle which must be pulled out to be operated and the push button which must be pushed in to operate, the latter being in close proximity to the former. This arrangement reduces the probability of misuse as the spindle action requires the use of both hands with a pull while the push button is just the opposite action.

I claim.

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a spindle free to rotate and to slide longitudinally, main clutch mechanism adapted to be rotated by the spindle when engaged by the .slidable action thereof, a units hand, gearing connecting the units hand with the main clutch, a fly back hand, fiy hand mechanism therefor, and a fly back clutch between the fly back hand and the units hand operative by the slidable action of the spindle to connect them when the main clutch is engaged, together with a spindle spring which normally keeps the spindle out of engagement with the main clutch and the fly back clutch out of engagement at the same time.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a case, a spindle rotative therein and slidable longitudinally therethrough, a spindle spring, main clutch mechanism adapted to be engaged by the slidable action of the spindle and to be rotated thereby, a units hand rotative by the main clutch, a fly back hand, fly back mechanism connected thereto operative by the slidable action of the spindle when the main clutch is disengaged, and a fly back clutch operative by the slidable action of the spindie to engage the fly back hand with the units hand when the main clutch is engaged.

3. in a registering device, the combination of a collar, a spindle which carries such collar and is free to rotate therein and to slide longitudinally therewith, main clutch mechanism adapted to be rotated by the spindle when engaged by the slidable action thereof, a units hand, gearing connecting the units hand with the main clutch, a fly backhand, fly back mechanism therefor connected to and operative by said collar, a fly Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

